Southeast Portland man burned after smoking a cigarette while using oxygen machine

A Southeast Portland man suffered burns to his face, nose and lungs after his oxygen machine caught fire tonight when he tried to smoke a cigarette.

Firefighters responded to the house, located at 12530 S.E. Powell Blvd., about 5 p.m. after the man's wife called 9-1-1, said Paul Corah, a spokesman for Portland Fire & Rescue. She told crews she heard a noise in the bathroom and when she walked in the room, saw that the tube supplying oxygen to her husband's nose was on fire.

The unidentified man told firefighters he was smoking just before the fire started, Corah said. He was taken to the Legacy Oregon Burn Center, but his condition was not known.

Officials reminded those who use supplemental oxygen or live with someone who does not to smoke around the equipment. "Doing so puts you and others in considerable danger," said Deputy Chief Duane Bray.